


I Will Cling, I Will Clutch

by Some_sort_of_trash



Category: RWBY
Genre: Cute, Family, Fever, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, He's resident bird uncle, Nightmares, Platonic Relationships, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Qrow, Protective Ruby, Protectiveness, Qrow adopts everyone, Ruby doesn't talk about her problems, Self-Hatred, Sick Character, Sick Ruby, Sickfic, That's the content I am here for, Whump, everything is not okay, ruby pretends everything is okay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-06
Updated: 2019-03-28
Packaged: 2019-11-12 05:30:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18004727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Some_sort_of_trash/pseuds/Some_sort_of_trash
Summary: Silver eyes met his red ones, unblinking and unfocused. She looked like a ghost in the land of the living. He'd known her the entirety of her lifetime, through good times and bad, and as such he'd seen her sick before. It had never been quite like this. Never this far gone."My fault." She whispered suddenly, voice breaking but face not showing a shift of emotion aside from her eyes glazing over. "My fault,"





	1. Don't worry about me, I'm fine

It had been a close call, but they made it to Haven intact. For that Ruby would always be grateful. After all, so many things had tried to stop them and had almost succeeded. Between Tyrian, Qrow’s apparent bad luck, and the Nuckelavee, things had looked bleak. The others didn’t realize how hard she worked to keep a cheerful attitude. It was draining. So, despite not knowing how long the peace would last, she decided to use it’s time to the fullest.

Or, at least that had been the plan.

She went to bed that night hoping for something peaceful to appear in her dreams. It happened so rarely these days that she’d be surprised if they did, but she also didn’t see any point in losing hope. After all, she didn’t need any more encouragement to become an insomniac who only got a couple hours of sleep every week. After laying down and getting settled in her bed, she wasted little time letting herself drift off. She saw all the usual flashes and visions, but this time it was permeated by longer periods of blank nothing. She awakened, dozed, and repeated the cycle, never truly waking up to the fullest extent.

Her head hurt in the morning.

“Hey kiddo,” She heard her uncle say, shaking her shoulder. She blinked at him, his words resonating in her ears as though she was standing under church bells mid-ring. Still, she responded with what she hoped looked like was little strain.

“Good morning Uncle Qrow,” Ruby said with a small smile, restraining a wince from how talking made her throat ache. “Sleep well?”

“Can’t complain,” He shrugged, followed by a huff of amusement. “Although I don’t think it really qualifies as morning anymore.” He gestured to the window on the other side of the room, light pouring out of it. Each beam felt like it was absorbed straight through her eyes and into her brain, leaving it more burnt with every second. She turned away. “Guess we slept in late today.”

“So no worm for you then?” She asked, forcing herself to sit up.

“Sure,” He replied, trying to act annoyed. She didn’t find it convincing. “Make fun of the guy who got named after a bird.”

“It does make for a pretty easy target.”

“You’ve got me there. I think the team is waiting for you downstairs, Nora mentioned something about pancakes?”

She side eyed him for a moment. “Did Ren make them?”

“Does it matter? They’re pancakes, how badly can you mess them up?”

“Considering we keep the fire extinguisher back home right next to the stove, I’d say pretty badly.”

“And your dad will always be sorry for that incident.” He said, grinning at her. She rolled her eyes and smiled back.

“If that’s what it takes for you to sleep at night, then sure we’ll go with that.” She retaliated. Standing up made her vision spin and her balance wonky, but she made it to the door somehow without too much of a problem. She paused after shakily grabbing the door handle.

“Ouch. Who decided to let me train you again?”

She stuck out her tongue cheekily in response, trying to ignore the burning sensation engulfing her. “You, probably.”

“A horrible decision really.”

“The worst,” She replied, looking at him for a moment. He seemed almost confused by it, but she supposed it wasn't too unusual. After all, she had to appear at least slightly out of it. She had never been the best actor. Still, she crossed the floor and wrapped her arms around him. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

He patted her back and her grin widened. “Me too, kid. Pancakes?”

* * *

 

As it turned out, she had no appetite. Figures. She took a pancake anyway, not wanting to worry them. Qrow looked at her suspiciously when she had taken only one, but he shrugged it off almost as soon as she had noticed the concern. She took small bites and moved the pieces around the plate, trying to project enthusiasm about whatever the conversation was about. Despite her best attempts, it was almost impossible to stay focused.

“Ruby, are you okay?” Jaune asked eventually, noticing she seemed a little bit off.

“Yeah, I'm fine,” she replied, brushing him off with as much innocence and confusion as she could make convincing. Moving her hand to take a bite felt disjointed and clunky, almost as though it didn't want to be a part of her body anymore. The food didn’t taste like anything, but it was painful to swallow, so she supposed that had to count for something. “I’m still catching my breath from all the time on the road. A couple nights of sleep and I should be right as rain.”

Nora nodded at her sympathetically, mouth full with an extraordinarily large bite of pancake. Ren rolled his eyes at her fondly and turned his attention to Ruby. “Agreed. I think we could all use a few days off.”

She slowly took another bite and finished the food, got up, and put the plate away. “Hopefully we'll get the chance to have them. Thanks for the food Ren, it was as good as I remember.”

“Speaking of days off, got any plans for today?” Nora asked, looking at her with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

Ruby cocked her head and pretended to think about it, trying to ignore the way it made her vision swim. The off-balanced swaying didn't look too far off from her normal bouncing. “Crescent Rose could use a few tune-ups, and I have a couple letters I need to mail. But other than that, I think it’ll be nice to take it easy for a bit. Maybe see what Haven’s all about.”

“We were planning to check the city too! Get a feel for the place.” Nora said, energetic as ever. Qrow smirked at her.

"You're not missing out on much," he assured. "Haven's not the worst place to be, but there's not much to distinguish it from anywhere else."

"That's a killjoys mentality, so knock that out!" Nora cried, hitting her hands against the table, the look on her face a warning to everyone that something crazy would happen if no preventative measures were taken. "Where's your sense of adventure?"

Fortunately, Qrow looked more amused than annoyed, so Ruby decided to take that as a good sign. "Been here, done this," He shrugged, crossing his arms behind his head. "If you want to go sightseeing I'm not going to stop you."

"So what about you then?" Jaune asked, friendlier than he had been before.

"I have some people I need to check up on," He responded, only sounding slightly cryptic. "So we'll see what turns up there. Other than that, I think my schedule is pretty free."

Ruby nodded and shoved off of the counter she had been leaning against. "I should get to it. I'll be upstairs if you need me!"

"Sure thing," Jaune nodded.

She cast them one last smile and crossed the threshold to the door. Although walking out of the room was hard, facing the stairs felt impossible. Still, she ignored the pain that surged with each step and pushed forward regardless.  She tried not to imagine falling or throwing up or some combination of the two, but it was difficult. Each step hit with a dull thud and reverberated throughout her entire body, but eventually, she made it to the landing.

Her ribcage felt like it was pulsating as she crawled into bed, letters and weapon forgotten for the moment. They could wait.


	2. "Of course I'm worried."

 

The remains of team RJNR scattered shortly after Ruby did, leaving Qrow to his own devices. An anxious feeling gnawed at him, and while this in and of itself wasn't uncommon, it usually didn't happen around Ruby. She hadn't even seemed that far off her usual personality that morning. Still, he found himself tracing the path up the stairs, trying to analyze anything different. He knocked tentatively on the door of the room they were sharing before pushing it open. 

He expected to see her writing as she had mentioned, or preparing to go out for the day with the others. His brow furrowed when he instead saw her lying in bed, looking dead to the world. “Ruby?” He asked, voice low. He knew she said she was tired, but this was almost unprecedented for her. “Ruuuby,” He tried again, stretching her name out a little longer. Still no response. 

He perched gently on her bedside and rested his hand on her forehead. His eyes widened at the heat and he pulled back as though he was burned. This was really, really bad. When she'd been sick as a kid, he usually left Tai (or Summer, when she was alive) to take care of her. He didn't want to make it worse for the kid by sticking around and causing all sorts of mistakes.  He'd run any small errands asked in those moments, often nearing the point of driving himself sick with worry. 

There was no getting around it: Ruby was clingy when sick. He'd heard the stories from Yang and Tai. She'd even ask for him. While some selfish part of his heart may have warmed when he first heard that, the thought terrified him. Still, he was left to deal with the situation in the here and now, not the then and there. Carefully, he turned over her wrist and pressed his fingers against it. Her pulse was fast and her skin was slightly sticky, but nothing seemed too far out of the ordinary. He decided to count his blessings. He got up slowly with a calm that only came from years of practice, shutting the door behind him as quietly as he could. 

"She's sick," He muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. He needed to find the rest of her crew, so he started walking in the direction of their shared room. "Why does she have to be sick?" He raised his hand to knock on the door, but it popped open. He didn't have the energy left to feel surprised. 

"Oh," Jaune greeted eloquently, "Can I, uh, help you?" 

"Your team is going into town, right?"

"Yes." He replied, head tilted with confusion. "Why, may I ask?"

"It's Ruby," Qrow stated. Jaune straightened instantly, and if Qrow wasn't so concerned he might have taken the time to marvel at the girl's ability to make people care about her so strongly. "She has a fever, I'm pretty sure. Any chance you can run into town and grab some things for me?" 

"Of-of course," Jaune stated, surprised that it even had to be asked. "What do you need?"

"Ruby's sick?" Nora asked from inside. Qrow didn't pay attention 

"I'll send you a list on your scroll, I just need it to be fast." Fumbling with his pockets, he pulled out a credit card and handed it over. "Take it, you'll need something to pay with."

"Right," Jaune nodded. "We'll be back before you know it."

Qrow sighed in partial relief and nodded, ducking back down the hall. That was one less thing for him to do at least. He was quick about sending off the list, not wanting to forget it. He didn't quite recall walking back into their room, but he found himself there anyway. He studied her face carefully, frowning at the tension he found. She looked uncomfortable, and even though he knew it wasn't necessarily his fault, it hurt. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he walked into the bathroom and poured cold water over a washcloth. He hoped it would help.

He sat back down on the side of her bed and pushed back her hair gently. "You do realize you could have said something, right?" A tiny, bittersweet smile reached his lips as he brushed the cloth across her forehead.

He was a bit startled when she responded. "Didn't want you to worry," she stated, muffled. He huffed a breath.

"It's a little late for that kiddo," Qrow answered. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired, sore, the usual," she looked in his general direction and grinned weakly. "I will admit, this kinda sucks."

It was enough to startle a huff of laughter out of him, which she took as a victory.  "I don't doubt that. Do you need me to get you anything?"

She shook her head and took a couple tried to respond. "I'll be okay."

His eyebrows knit together. "'I'll be okay' and 'I am okay' are two very different things, kid."

"Don't... You don't need to do this."

He sighed, running the washcloth over her head again. She gave a soft sigh of contentment and his lips twitched again. "False.  You're family Ruby. I'm not leaving." 

She didn't respond after that, which was concerning in its own right. Despite the confidence he said the words with, he wasnt really sure what he was doing. However, her apparent lack of care toward herself was far more troubling. He knew that she had her insecurities, but the moments she dwelled in them were few and far between. In fact, most days he forgot their existence entirely.   
A shiver wracked her body suddenly, so he pulled the cloth off her face with a flinch. He was so jumpy that she would consider it comical had she seen it. "Cold, Rubes?" Qrow questioned, beginning to tuck the blankets around her without waiting for an answer. It was just as well; the only return he got was a pained moan. "That's reassuring," he muttered to himself. It felt useless to stand around doing nothing, and if he could transfer the pain to himself he'd do it a thousand times over. He wouldn't say it to her though, he knew it would just shut her down and make her feel worse. 

They really were too similar for their own good. 

Still, he prepared himself to hunker down and stay the course. She needed someone to be there for her. He could never be Summer, but as long as he continued to be better than Raven hopefully Ruby wouldn't care.   
  
By the time the rest of Jaune's team had returned she'd gone through two more cycles of hot flashes. Ruby was somehow more pale than usual, silver eyes glazed when open and slightly pinched when shut. She looked like the slightest touch could break her. Given that Qrow looked like he'd aged another 5 years, the team had no indication to believe that he was any different.

“We brought medicine,” Ren said, and although his tone was soothing it still made Qrow jump. He blinked a few times, but when he registered what he said he sighed in relief.

“Is she okay?” Jaune asked tentatively. Qrow pursed his lips, averted his eyes, and tried to think his answer through.

“She’ll be fine,” he answered slowly, “She's probably going to be going through hell for a while though. Ruby never got sick much when she was a kid, but when she did, it was always the really bad strains of whatever was circulating. I don't think this is different.”

“That sucks.” Nora stated in a bitter tone. Qrow couldn't help but agree.

Jaune took a few steps forward and placed his hand on her forehead. Ruby's eyes fluttered open in response. “Hey,” She croaked out, coughing immediately after.

“You really can’t catch a break can you?” He asked, half concerned, half amused. She couldn’t muster the energy to shake her head, so she just stared apologetically. 

“I’ll go work on soup,” Ren announced, nodding at Ruby. 

“Do you need help?” Nora asked, although her usual smile seemed a bit strained.

“I wouldn’t mind the company,” Ren shrugged, gesturing out the door.

Nora turned her back to them and raised her hand in a loose wave. “We’ll be back soon!”

Surprisingly, Jaune stayed. When he caught Qrow’s raised eyebrow he got defensive. “What, I can't stay?”

Qrow huffed. “Do whatever you want kid, I'm not going to stop you.”

Ruby grimaced from her spot. Although Jaune and Qrow we’re starting to get along better, they weren’t going to be bff’s anytime soon. “Ladies, we’re all pretty,”

Although her voice was raspy when she said it, it brought the two back into the moment. Guilt gnawed at them. Here she was, barely able to talk, and they were being hostile. They nodded at each other silently, coming to a truce. “You still need to take your meds, you know,” Jaune stated, trying to make his voice sound more mischievous than blunt.

“Noooo,” Ruby moaned.

“Yes.” Jaune stated with a fond eye roll.

“Can you sit up kiddo?” Qrow asked, figuring it was probably more rhetorical at this point than anything else. He nodded for Jaune to get the medicine.

Ruby let out another pathetic sounding moan, so they decided to take it as a “no”. Still, they needed to work around it somehow. So, while Jaune poured the medicine, Qrow began to help Ruby sit up. He wasn’t expecting it when she cuddled up to him, but he couldn’t exactly say he was surprised. He’d had fair warning after all. 

Jaune hadn’t had the same forewarning. However, instead of being surprised like Qrow may have been, he gave them a smile that made Qrow uncomfortable. After all, he typically wasn’t on the receiving end of the “I-just-saw-a-small-puppy-and-I’m-going-to-explode-from- happiness” look that Ruby so often invoked. He had an image to maintain after all. 

The things he did for his nieces.

“Can you open your mouth for me Ruby?” Jaune asked once he’d gotten over himself. She glanced over to him weakly before turning to bury herself in Qrow’s neck. “Really now, is that how it is?” From her position she nodded. “How are you going to feel better without taking meds, huh?”

“Yellow is right kiddo, you gotta power through this.”

“Yellow?” Jaune asked, confused. 

Qrow gave him a blank look. “Don’t you spell your name like the color?”

“I mean, yeah, but-”

“Yellow it is then.”

“I don’t want medicine,” Ruby cut in, mumbling. “Tastes gross.”

“Yeah well what’s better; taking medicine and getting better or not taking your meds and feeling gross?” Qrow retorted, turning her back toward Jaune slowly.

She ignored his question. “You’re mean, both of you.” 

Even as she said it, her eyes were closing and her head was sliding toward her chest. 

“No, no, no, stay awake for a few more minutes kiddo.”

“I’ll spit it out, I promise,” 

“How threatening,” Jaune retorted wryly. He pushed the spoon toward her mouth, and after a few moments of resistance she accepted it half-heartedly. “There, that wasn’t so bad, was it?”

She stuck her tongue out and nestled closer to Qrow, who blinked in mild alarm. “Wanna let me up kid?”

“Nope,” she whispered, voice dying. His chest constricted painfully. “Wan’ snuggles.”

He exaggerated a sigh for Jaune’s sake even as he secured his arm around her. “You’re killing my image kiddo, I hope you’re happy.” 

She gave a sigh of contentment as Jaune snorted. “I never took you for the cuddly type.”

Qrow glared at him. The things he did for his nieces.


End file.
